Air condenser



R. C. BROWNE AIR CONDENSER Oct. 21 1924. 1,512,398 1 i Filed Oct. 14, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i wuewtm lleflrowrve 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R Brown/e Oct. 21 1924.

R. c. BROWNE AIR CONDENSER Filed Oct. 14,

Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

UNITED {STATES RALPH C. BMW, 01 SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

AIR Commnsnn.

Application filed October 14', 1528. Serial No. 594,452.

To all whom it may com-em Be it known that I, RALPH C. BROWNE, citizen of the United States, residing at Salem, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air Condensers, of which the .fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to the class of air condensers used in tuning circuits of radiophone apparatus, and has for its principal purpose a construction whereby a fine adjustment may be had at any stage of its capacity.

In radiophone apparatus. sharp tuning is necessar in the reception of continuous waves, an in the more sensitive types of receiving apparatus very small capacities may be of great importance. This fact necessitates a condenser available over a wide range of capacity values and capable of very fine adjustment within the range of such capacity values.

Air condensers as reviously constructed have comprised a p urality of vanes that may be placed by turnin a knob into a capacity relation with ot er fixed vanes.

In order to get a fine adjustment but. one

vane is frequently made usev of, and the condenser thereby has but small capacity, even when the entire. amount of surface of this plate is in use.

One object of my invention is to overcome this defect and to provide an arrangement whereby the fine adjustment can be associated with any degree of capacity "of the construction, or if desired the vanes of the construction can be moved simultaneously as in the ordinary type of adjustable air condenser, or if desired any portion of the total number of adjustable vanes can be moved simultaneously.

Another object of this 'invention is to provide a device of the above described character by which a large range of capacity values may be obtained in the recepcuits of ra io apparatus.

A further ob ect of this invention is to provide adevice of the above character by which a very fine adjustment may be obtained at any stage of its capacity values.

A further object is to provide a practical, economical and efiicient device of the above tion of con/inuous waves in the tuning cirdescribed character.

vention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and in the unique relation of the members and of the relative proportion ing and disposition thereof, all as more completely hereinafter outlined. To enable others skilled in the art to fully comprehend and understand the underlying features of this invention and in order that they may embody the same by numerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated by this invention, drawings depicting a preferred form have been annexed and made part of this'disclosure, and in such drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout all the views, in which Figure 1 shows a view of a complete as sembly;

Figure 2' is a plan view looking down on top of the construction, the revolving dial being left off and'the adjustable vanes being radially disposed;

Figure 3 shows one of the movable vanes reduced in size; and

Figure 4 shows the preferred form of insulating means used.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 1, the numeral 1 refers to the stationary vanes suitably held by the clamping bolts 2 between spacing washers 3 that are ordinarily employed. Movable vanes 4 are shaped, as shown in Figure 3, and are providedwith a lug 5 to form a handle, and an opening 6 at movable vanes 4 are placed on a bushing 7,

as shown in Figure 4, and are freely ro-.

tatable within an arc of approximately 180. The bushing 7 is clamped to a base plate 8, and is thereby rigidly held. Between the movable vanes 4 are placed spacing washers designated by the numeral 10, which are preferably keyed to the bushing 7 in the ordinary manner.

It will be seen from the above construction that the plates 4 can be independently moved through the medium of the handle 5. The top movable plate 12-preferably the one ad acent to the knob-is alone fixed to a spindle 13 through the medium of lock nut 14. This spindle 13 extends through the center of the bushing 7 as shown in Figure 4, and terminates in a rotatable knob 15. Upon turning the knob 15 of-the construction the top plate will be turned likewise, the other plates being normally separated from it, and, held between two spacing washers 10 which do not move, have no tendenc to change their position whatever it may e. If desired, these plates can be independently moved by hand either within or out from between the several plates. This varies the capacity, one of the plates alone'preferably the end plate 12in this case being employed to give a fine adjustment.

To the end of the handle 5 of the movable plate 12 I afiix a boss 17 through which passes a pin 18 for engagement with the holes 19 in the ends of the adj usting handles 5 of the movable vanes. If desired, the pin 18 can be pushed through one or more of the handles, thereby causing them to move with the movable plate 12. In this case the entire capacity of the condenser is varied as is ordinarily the practice in variable air condensers, In the opening 6 of the movable vanes I place a rubber or leather plug 20 which provides frictional engagement with the stationary vanes and has a braking effect upon the movement of the said movable vanes, thereby preventing them from getting out of position by mechanical jar or their touching the stationary plates in the event of their being damaged.

Referring again to Figure 4, it will be seen that the top stationary plate is insulated from the spindle 13 by means of the nsulating bushing 21. The base plate 8 is also insulated from the bushing member 7 by the insulation 22 as shown. A holding nut 23 and a lock nut 24 are provided to hold the bushing member 7 firmly into the base plate 8 and to maintain the same in proper ali nment.

eferring now to Figure 2, an L-shaped member 25 is loosely mounted on the end plate 8 by the clamp members 2. This is insulated as at 26-and by its rotation, and its subsequent coaction with the handles 5, forms a -uniform stop for the movable vanes 4.

In use this condenser lends itself readily to What is known as loop construction or for as the above type of adjustable condenser may prove equally eflicient with an oil or other dielectric substance. It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a simple and practical and with all an efiicient condenser particularly adapted for use in the radiophone system and one in which both an increased range of'capacity and a fine adjustment within that range of capacity is available.

'Without further analysis the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others may readilyadapt it for various applications without omitting certain features that fromthe standpoint of the prior art fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specified aspects of this invention, and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

I I claim:

1. A variable condenser, comprising a plurality of movable vanes, a locking member associated with one vane, said locking member adapted to cooperate with a desired number of the other movable vanes to control their operation in unison.

2. An air condenser comprising a plurality of stationary vanes, a plurality of movable vanes, means for moving said movable vanes independently of each other, a separately movable vane, manually operable means to move said separately movable vane independently of the other of said movable vanes and means whereby said movable vanes may be locked to move in unison, said 

